While it’s not exactly as famous as the Jaguar E-Type — no Jag is — the D-Type is still regarded as one of the most iconic Jaguars in history. Only 75 D-Type units were built in the late 1950s after Jaguar initially planned to build 100 units. Apparently, Jag’s failure to reach its intended goal has gnawed at the company for years. Well, Jag’s finally doing something to address that by announcing plans to build the last 25 units of the D-Type. This is not a drill, folks. Jaguar really is going to build the last 25 units of the iconic race car, completing what it should’ve done 60 years ago.

British automaker Jaguar has revealed that its Formula E-spec race has successfully completed 21 days of testing at the Donington Park circuit ahead of its official debut in October 2016. At the same time, Jaguar announced that the single-seater has been named the I-Type, a moniker that the company trademarked in February 2016.

The I-Type will be campaigned during the 2016-2017 Formula E season by the Panasonic Jaguar Racing team, while Lear Corporation will join in as an official partner. The new collaboration will mark Jaguar’s return to top-level racing after 12 years. The British firm retired from mainstream motorsport in 2004, after spending five years in Formula One with disappointing results.

The I-Type will be driven by Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans, two drivers solid experience in competitions such as Formula Renault, Formula Ford, Toyota Racing Series, and GP3 Series. Ho-Pin Tung, who has previously raced in F1, A1GP and GP2 series, will be the team’s reserve driver.

"Today marks a new chapter in the history of Jaguar Racing. As the first premium car manufacturer in Formula E we are proud to be back in top-level motorsport. The future is changing and we’re part of that change. We can’t wait to begin racing competitively in inner city locations inspiring a whole new generation of Jaguar Racing fans to join us on this exciting journey. Formula E is the perfect platform to inspire the next generation," said Gerd Mauser, chairman of Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

The 2016-2017 Formula E season will commence October 9, 2016, in Hong Kong and will include 14 events in 12 countries. The final race is scheduled on July 30, 2017, in New York. Ten teams will fight for supremacy on the race track, including automakers Renault, Audi, Mahindra, and Venturi.

Some of the most iconic Jaguar race cars in history are all set to return for the second season of the Jaguar Classic Challenge, the automaker’s exclusive racing competition. This season, the Classic Challenge welcomes the Le Mans Classic as the newest round in its racing calendar. Considering the company’s long and illustrious history at Le Mans, it’s only fitting that one of the world’s most important race tracks will become a part of the racing series.

The race will be called the “Le Mans Classic”, and will run from July 8 to July 20, 2016. It’s inclusion brings the total number of races in Classic Challenge to five. The season-opening race will be take place at the Donington Historic Festival from April 30 to May 2, 2016. That will be followed by the Silverstone International Trophy (May 21 to 22), the Le Mans Classic, the AvD-Oldtimer-Grand-Prix at the Nurburgring (August 12 to 14), and the Oulton Park Gold Cup (August 27 to 27).

In addition to the inclusion of the Le Mans Classic in the Jaguar Classic Challenge, the series will also be introducing new technical regulations that will be based on the FIA’s Appendix K frameworks for cars that compete in international historic racing competitions. According to the FIA, regulations in Appendix K “may be used for Competitions under a set of rules that preserve the specifications of their period and prevent the modifications of performance and behavior which could arise through the application of modern technology.”

With the inclusion of Le Mans and the adoption of new technical regulations, this year’s Jaguar Classic Challenge should be able to build off of the success of last year’s inaugural season. So, expect the see the usual classic Jaguars, including Mk1s, Mk2s, C-Types, D-Types, Xk120s and 140s, XKSS, and various vintage versions of the iconic E-Type, all lining up on the track when the season starts in April.

When Formula E debuted in 2014, it gathered only a handful of automakers on the starting grid. Renault, Audi, and Mahindra were the only mainstream companies involved, with McLaren providing the electric motor. As the series gained popularity after the first season, more carmakers began considering joining Formula E. While the likes of Nissan and BMW are still pondering the idea, Jaguar has already signed up for the 2016-2017 season and unveiled its first-even electric race car, the I-Type.

Under development since 2015, the I-Type spearheads Jaguar’s return to top-level racing after a 12-year hiatus and will probably help the British company developed electric motors for future EV and hybrid production cars. Following intense testing at the Donington Park circuit in England, the I-Type is ready to hit the Formula E’s race tracks when the new season debuts on October 9, 2016, in Hong Kong.

Jaguar’s effort in the series will be back by Japanese electronics giant Panasonic and American automotive seating and electrical distribution systems Lear Corporation. The I-Type will be driven by Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll, while Ho-Pin Tung will be the team’s reserve driver.

Jaguar Land Rover is set to return to motor racing. A press conference to announce the British car marker’s plans has been scheduled for next week, according to a report from Sky News.

The specific details of the press conference are still unclear at this point, but all signs seem to point to the company announcing its intention to compete in the Formula E World Championship, becoming the latest manufacturer to throw its name into the young series. The other automakers that are already involved in Formula E are Audi, Renault, and Peugeot.

The company’s decision to join Formula E is reportedly tied into its plans to enter the electric car world, especially with the series’ whole revolving around the propagation of electric technology. Apart from the obvious competitive standpoint, JLR believes that being a part of Formula E will give it the proper environment to boost the development of its electric road car program. After all, there’s no other racing series in the world that offers comprehensive live testing for electrification technology.

It’s unlikely that JLR will be able to enter a full racing team this season since it’s already underway. In fact, Jaguar’s pending announcement will happen a few weeks before the third round of the season at Uruguay. A formal accreditation from the FIA is also still in the works. Until JLR secures that, it won’t be able to compete in the series. If the company really is going all-in on its involvement in Formula E, look for it to spend the remainder of the season preparing for its entry next year.

That’s going to give the company, and the team it eventually fields, enough time to get settled in with a functioning racing team and a full driver lineup.

When the 24 Hours of Le Mans started up again after WWII, it took a few years for any one company to clearly dominate the race. The first several races were each wins for different marques, but Jaguar became the first one to win two postwar races in 1953, with the excellent C-Type racer. But, as good as the C-Type was, it was up against the technological marvel that was the Mercedes-Benz 300SL, as well as the Ferrari 375 Plus — a car that was almost more of a giant V-12 engine than it was car. So, even as the C-Type was taking an overall win in 1953, Jaguar was already working on a new version of the car.

The story of the D-Type starts with the XK120, Jaguar’s first postwar sports car. At the time, it was the fastest production car in the world, and so when Jaguar wanted to compete at Le Mans, it just made a competition version of the car (this being the C-Type). But, with the XK120 having debuted in 1948, most of the technology that went into it was prewar and by the mid ’50s there was a lot of new thinking and technology that could be applied — most importantly, a lot of airplane technology.

It was 1950, and the postwar sports car racing scene was beginning to heat up. In some ways the scene wasn’t too different from now: the only way to be taken seriously as a purveyor of sporty vehicles was to go racing. Jaguar’s lovely XK120 was in the performance spotlight, thanks to its 120-mph top speed making it the fastest production vehicle of its day, and so it was only natural that the car hit the track.

Three nearly stock XK120s entered the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950, modified by the factory but helmed by private drivers. The cars were reasonably successful, with one getting as high as second place before retiring while running third, and the other two finishing 12th and 15th. William Lyons, managing director of Jaguar, was impressed with the showing, and speculated that with a more rigid body and a significant weight drop, the cars would be even more competitive. The key to racing success was a dramatic makeover. Jaguar designed an aerodynamic lightweight body over a tube-frame chassis, retuned the engine, transmission and front suspension, and the XK120C, later known simply as the C-Type, was born.

Three C-Types entered Le Mans in 1951, and one of them won the race outright. Jaguar set record race speeds along the way. A more ambitious effort in 1952 fell flat, but in 1953 Jaguar won Le Mans again, with its three entries coming in first, second and fourth. The effort was more impressive because of Jaguar’s low-key approach; the factory team didn’t show up with a lot of fancy equipment like Ferrari or Alfa Romeo, and quietly went out and beat the established marques. This racing success didn’t just cement Jaguar’s reputation as a force to be reckoned with on the track; it also catapulted Jaguar to international fame. The C-Type is arguably responsible for Jaguar’s legendary status. A total of 53 C-types were produced from 1951 to 1953, and replicas are still being built today.

The Jaguar E-Type was unveiled in 1961 and between 1963 and 1964, Jaguar offered a Lightweight version, specially developed for racing. The model was limited to only 12 units, plus two spare bodies.

It was not very successful as the C-Type and D-Type racing cars, as it did not won any Le Mans or Sebring competitions, but it enjoyed plenty of success in private hands and in smaller races.

Jason Len decided it was time for his 1964 E-Type to went through a recreation process, so it spent lots of hours and used tons of materials to rebuild it. Of course lots of money were also required, but apparently that was irrelevant for Jason. All he wanted was to chase his dream.

Apparently, Jason devoted his life to Jaguar, so when deciding to rebuild this car, the decision was very easy to make. He started to work and the result is quite impressive.

Jason and his car were the subject of Petrolicious’ latest video, which you can see above.

Chris Harris was at this year’s Goodwood Revival RAC TT 2013 where he seemed to have lots of fun. Harris and teammate, Anthony Reid, came to within a few laps of winning the Goodwood Revival, while driving the one-off Lister-Jaguar Coupe, but a rain-slicked track and a minor hiccup in the last few laps cost the race for the Jag.

Even though his team did not bring home first place, Harris described the experience as the best one ever. Check out the video to see why he found the RAC TT, the Lister-Jaguar and all of the other racecars so cool.

The Lister-Jaguar Coupe is powered by a Jaguar D-type in-line-six engine combined with an aerodynamic aluminum body that ensured the best driving dynamics. For a car launched in the 1950s, the Lister Jaguar Coupe delivered incredible performance figures for its era, including a 0-to-60 mph time of 11.2 seconds.

As the Jaguar product renaissance continues full-steam ahead with the XQ-type crossover’s reveal, there is even more excitement back home with the debut of the Eagle Low Drag GT.

Sharing the lawn with dozens of other priceless exotics, the Eagle Low Drag GT applies the same priceless supercar restoration and upgrade that makes its Speedster such a showstopper.

Finished in gorgeous hand-polished aluminum for the panels and chassis, the Low Drag GT revives one of the most celebrated Jaguar racing concepts ever: a fastback E-type that was wider, more powerful and far more streamlined than any production Jaguar coupe from then or now.

The original E-type was many things during its prime, including a super-rapid, high-speed express that could reach huge top speeds for a fraction of the price of its competition from Italy.

For all this beauty and heritage that flows into the F-type today, the E-type was surprisingly never a truly successful racing machine or a good-looking two-seat coupe.

As Jaguar puts the final touches on the F-type Coupe ahead of its arrival this spring, the Eagle Low Drag GT is the perfect example of Jaguar fastback style.

With pricing likely to be in the seven digits and a total production run of perhaps five cars, the 2013 Eagle Low Drag GT writes a new chapter in the celebrated Jaguar E-type legacy.

When Jaguar promised to bring a design study of the F-Type to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, few people had any inkling that the British automaker was talking about this car.

This is the Project 7, a fully-functional, high-performance sports car (translation: it’s not a concept) that highlights the automaker’s new F-Type roadster while also paying homage to its winning tradition at Le Mans that saw the automaker take home the title seven times between 1951-1990 - a record for a British manufacturer.

Notice that the blue paintwork of the Project 7 looks like a classic shade turned up for a modern purpose. That’s not an accident because this same color is reminiscent of the victorious Jaguar D-types of 1956/1957. Pretty interesting historical fact, huh?

And like we’ve already mentioned, the basis for the Project 7 is the F-Type, particularly the latter’s rigid all-aluminum architecture, providing the perfect starting point for Jaguar to add some tweaks and modifications and giving birth to quite a stunning sports car.

Jaguar unveiled the very cool C-X75 concept supercar at the 2010 Paris Auto Show and since then, we have heard all kinds of rumors about a possible production version. According to Inside Line, the development of the hybrid supercar is moving fast, but don’t expect to see the gas-turbine setup from the Concept to show its face in the production version.
The Jaguar C-X75 is being developed in cooperation with Cosworth and the Williams F1 team. Williams will be responsible for developing the car’s carbon-fiber tub and bodywork, as well as its hybrid driveline.
The power setup will include the four electric motors attached one to each axle and a supercharged 1.6L four-cylinder gasoline engine that develops 313 HP.
Those cool microturbines aren’t entirely gone though.
Jaguar has put them in the Jaguar and will more than likely be using it to create "an experimental car" for track use only.

Engineers did come across a few problems when modifying the concept to production form.
The Williams team had to do some extensive aerodynamic work on the body of the vehicle to make sure it could produce enough downforce to travel upside down at 120 mph.
The engineers calculated that the C-X75 needed 1.562 square meters of air intake - much more than the car’s front end had.
These aerodynamic requirements changed the design a little, says Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark, with the C-X75 "looking more like a sculpture than a car, and more beautiful."

The production C-X75 will be limited to only 250 units, each priced at $1.15 million, and will be unveiled sometime next year.
No dates were provided for the release of the experimental track-only C-X75.

For a company that hasn’t exactly produced scorching results in racing competitions it’s participated in recently, Jaguar is hell-bent on returning to its perch as a racing team to be feared.
In the latest episode of the Jaguar Return to Glory video series, the RSR team leaves no stones unturned on their passion for racing and desire to build the RSR XKR GT2 as a race car that’s capable of racing with the best of the best and the elite of the elite.

If there’s one video that provides you with everything you need to know about how the men and women behind the scenes work together to make the RSR racing team live up to its enormous potential, this episode of the Return to Glory video series is about as good as it gets. These guys live for racing and they’re working their hardest to make sure that the product is capable of producing results.

What goes on in building a race car? That’s a question that’s been asked by curious bees since time immemorial, but since the whole process takes a long time to be documented in detail, Jaguar’s US-based racing team, Jaguar RSR, was kind enough to show us how they built their XKR-based GT2 racer from the ground up - in a little more than 30 seconds.

While the specific details of the whole process are a little too fast for our liking, the time-lapse video does show us a quick overview of the building process of the car that’s scheduled to compete at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as part of the brand’s 75th anniversary.

We had no complaints when we got Jaguar’s new V8 on the track, so it’s no surprise a full-on racecar is making its debut.
Rocketsports Racing (RSR) revealed the XKR GT2 racing car that will compete in the American Le Mans Series.

The 2010 XKR GT2 racecar was designed as a joint effort between the American racing team RSR and Jaguar’s Advance Design Studio, which is headed by the automaker’s chief designer Ian Callum. The experience of the veteran racer and Jaguar’s main body man has resulted in over 1,100 man hours molding clay and laying carbon fiber to create a shape that is fast and manages to maintain the feel of the factory vehicle.

This Jag will take on cars such as the Corvette C6R GT2 and Aston Martin Vantage GT2.
This means although RSR will be using the naturally aspirated version of the 5.0-liter V8, the engine will likely be modified to make more than the 385 hp it generates in cars like the 2010 XK.

The race car began its life as a brand new Jaguar XK-R, and despite being a fully built race car maintains much of the original car’s aluminum body panels; like the roof, doors and deck lid. Intensive computational fluid dynamics analysis by the automaker’s aerodynamics department has led to some interesting body work, like the trailing GT style rear wing, redesigned front bumper and extremely wide front fenders. The new 2010 XKR GT2 racecar is a vehicle that both Gentilozzi and Jaguar feel will become one of the most competitive Jaguar racing cars to compete in one of the most competitive ALMS GT2 fields in a long time.

The XKR GT2 will not be ready for the track until the summer of 2009 and will only run a partial season.
So even if it is a contender this year, this is just a practice run for 2010.

2010 Racing Debut: The American Le Mans Series racing team RSR, headed up by long time Jaguar privateer racer Paul Gentilozzi has finished working on the next generation XK-R racing car in time to compete at the 1,000 mile Petit Le Mans in Braselton, Georgia.
When the green flag drops at 11:15 AM on September 26, 2010, the hills surrounding Road Atlanta will roar with the sounds of fire breathing race cars, but there will also be a new voice in the crowd, the XKR GT2 car with a trio of seasoned racers behind the wheel; the American Scott Pruett, the Belgian Marc Goossen and RSR team owner Paul Gentilozzi. If anyone can handle pulling a double duty like this one, Gentilozzi can.

Update 09/24/2009: This article has been updated to include additional specs and its 2010 racing debut.

Update 05/27/2010: Check out the new video on the Jaguar RSR.
It’s part of the Jaguar Return to Glory video series and illustrates Jaguar’s intentions to return to the track as a feared competitor.

More pics and full breakdown in the 2009 and 2010 press releases after the jump.

Jaguar’s new XKR Coupé is being revealed to a new audience today at the Autosport International Show at the NEC, Birmingham, and in a new guise.
Buckingham-based Apex Motorsport, under the direction of Richard Lloyd, has developed the stunning XKR model for use in the FIA GT3 European Championship. It is being revealed in the ‘flesh’ for the first time to the world’s motorsport media at what is recognised to be globally one of biggest and most successful motorsport shows.
Lloyd and Apex have (...)